By Reader Staff
The North Idaho DUI Task Force will close out 2024 with a final impaired driving enforcement operation from New Year’s Eve through Saturday, Jan. 4 aimed at identifying and removing drunk drivers from North Idaho roadways.
Participating law enforcement agencies across the five northern counties of Idaho will have additional officers on patrol throughout the enforcement period, with a goal of increasing safety and reducing the number of lives lost to impaired driving crashes.
The efforts are supported by the Idaho Office of Highway Safety through grant funding that helps supplement agency budgets to cover additional staffing during periods of extra enforcement.
Impaired driving continues to be a serious safety issue in North Idaho — especially for young people between the ages of 21 to 24 who’ve accounted for the majority of fatalities in drunk driving crashes in 2024, according to preliminary crash statistics from OHS.
According to a news release from the Idaho Transportation Department, impaired driving in Idaho resulted in 1,708 crashes and 105 fatalities in 2023.
“These tragedies serve as a sobering reminder of the dangers of driving under the influence,” the department stated.
This year, and into the next, the task force reminded drivers to “do their part by planning ahead for rideshares or designated drivers ahead of celebrations, parties, holidays or any time they intend to use impairing substances of any kind.”
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